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Post by carolinebyrnes on Jun 1, 2016 3:26:22 GMT
Something that really resonated with me from the reading From the Court to the Classroom: Opportunities for Engagement, Learning, and Identity in Basketball and Classroom Mathematics was the idea that there is a strong link between engagement and a sense of overall belonging. I believe that one small exert sums up the main idea of the course in general. A student will only be engaged in the development of literacy practices if the feel like they belong in the classroom/ school. It is school staffs job to make students feel like they belong in order for them to be engaged in the literacy practices of a content area. What ways can teachers foster a sense of belonging in their classroom?
Another interesting point I noted from the Literacy Myth at Thirty was the idea of school success not necessarily correlating with life success. People often believe that the acquisition of literacy is a necessary precursor to success. I believe that connections between schooling and social mobility are not natural ones ( they are perpetuated by society). What does society do to perpetuate this myth?
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Post by ericalharris on Jun 1, 2016 3:32:04 GMT
One thing I found particularly interesting in the Nasir and Hand reading was when they talked about the research that showed that students were able to solve a math problem when it came up in the context of basketball but were unable to solve the same math problem when it came up in the classroom. I thought this was a fascinating example of why it is so important to make learning engaging for students by pulling in things that interest them into the classroom. My question is how can teachers balance the needs to teach the actual content, which students may find boring, with making every lesson engaging and fun for students? While it seems ideal to tie every single thing you need to teach into something the kids are interested in, I'm having trouble picturing what this would look like in some of the content areas given the time constraints on teachers and a varied interest in the classroom. For example, in a chemistry classroom, I imagine that the teacher needs to teach a very specific set of skills and vocabulary to the student in order for them to keep their jobs, but it is hard for me to imagine how a teacher would make every single concept really interesting in chemistry to someone who doesn't find that particularly interesting. I can see how you could take the bigger concepts and make them relatable by linking them to student interest, but as the knowledge required gets increasingly specific I think this would be harder and harder to do. It also seems to me like this would be much easier in subjects like history or language arts, where a big part of getting students engaged and understanding the content is getting them to personally engage with the text or make connections to their own lives. I guess I'm having trouble seeing how a teacher would do that in really advanced subjects and STEM in particular. I also got the sense in all of my higher-level math and science courses in high school that the teachers were very rushed to teach as much content as possible in very little time, so it seems like it would be unrealistic to ask them to make every lesson super interesting without giving them more hours in a day. What do you guys think?
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Post by hoonze88 on Jun 1, 2016 13:07:50 GMT
So I am extremely late to the party and could not figure out if there was a difference in the reading posts so I thought I'd post each of my readings here, get it out all in the open and see what you folks have to say about it.
Brozo, reading 1-
I can agree with pretty much everything Dr. Brozo was mentioning in the video. This so called war on reading is irrelevant; we need to instead focus on the subject at hand and get these boys (and girls too) to read and become literate if they are struggling. He mentions a teacher using the students interest to bridge gaps into the curriculum. Off experience, I can not tell you just how effective this technique is and why is should be used more. I have had several teachers do this during grade school and I always felt it was an amazing way to make class interesting that day. I have tutored several students and have done this myself, and the students always become engaged. Rather than focus on the techniques that don't reach students, lets change it up.
Literacy events and practices, reading 2-
I am actually glad to reread this and re-watched the video because I have had a hard time understanding discourse for the most part and it makes it a bit easier to understand. Discourse, as the author mentions, is an abstract idea but once you wrap your head around it then its not so crazy. The best way I understand it is this: I have joined a certain discourse myself; the University discourse. It is like a group where language, thinking, feeling, being is part of the situated practices that we must engage in order to be members of the discourse. In this case, being part of the University discourse, writing papers, taking exams, talking about lecture and discussing notes; these are all practices of communication for my discourse. The video goes on to mention about literacy events, which are activities in which literacy has or plays a role. This can be somewhat broad, but easy to understand. An example of these events include school, reading (duh), even shopping! And it goes on to mention how literacy is the behavior acquired as a result of belonging to a certain discourse, which brings up the notion of situated practices. These practices include many things, such as: culture, clothing, language, etc.
AMA Health Literacy Video, reading 3-
This video scares me, because of how prevalent it really is in today's age. I think of my mother, who takes so much medication like one of those women and my mother, to give you background, is a Cuban immigrant coming to the United States at the age of 35. She wanted to go to college but living with a machismo husband meant staying home and taking care of the kids, so no college. It took my mom several years to learn English but it is not her strong suit, nor dominant language. There are words that she does not understand, and will call me sometimes just to ask what it means. Sometimes she will spell it out because she can not pronounce it. What if she took medication she thought she needed but really didn't, but didn't say anything because she didn't understand the instructions or something? That image chills me to death. I believe this issue has occurred more since the video was taken, because of how schools just pass kids so that they keep their success rates up and continue to receive maximum funding. This causes the kids to enter college and not know how to read, or just read at a lower level than they should. What happens when these particular students who can not read end up seeking medical help? What if they need legal help? This video just confirms the dangers of being illiterate.
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Post by hoonze88 on Jun 1, 2016 13:34:18 GMT
Reading 4-
Cant seem to access or find it, I'll come back to that.
Chapter 14, reading 5-
I remember going over this in class, big 'D' discourses (primary discourses) over secondary discourses. This paper makes great points of learning by acquisition over learning by instruction. Personally, I can validate this myself through simply having grown up in Miami as a first generation Cuban-American. My first language was obviously Spanish, and not because I learned it in school but rather it was taught to me by my mother and father. It was how we communicated; there were no books or activities to go through, just through simple acquisition. It wasn't until I reached Pre-K that I began to learn English and dominated the language well, through instruction AND acquisition. From hearing it everyday, reading it, and hearing the TV watching my favorite cartoons in the early 90's, I mastered the language to the point that it became my dominant language over my first language. But again, I never formally learned Spanish before English, rather I just acquired it from my mom and dad. This kind of discourse is learned through acquisition as the paper states, which we can then later use to facilitate 'meta-knowledge'.
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Post by hoonze88 on Jun 1, 2016 13:53:23 GMT
Colleen,
you made me think of an interesting question. I agree pairing high level students with the lower level students may help, but I pose this question: can it also be detrimental to the students? I think it can. Let me explain before I go on; I agree that it can help both students out. The student at the higher level can reaffirm comprehension in the material, whereas the student at the lower level can begin to understand in terms he/she can understand. But consider the following, if not just for devil's advocate: what is the higher level student does not have full comprehension of what is being read? What if, the student when paired with the lower level student, decides to shut off and not explain anything? I pose this question because in my time tutoring kids at certain high schools here in Tallahassee and back home in Miami, kids have become much more secluded into groups than when I was in high school. Suppose the kids paired are from different groups, the example of the jock and the artsy type. We would like to believe they will find common ground, work together and help one another, but does that represent reality? Does that ever truly happen the way we want it to happen? Sure, it often can, but what happens when it doesn't? The higher level may not want to waste his/her time and completely shut off towards the lower level student, thus completely damning the student and in the process damage the student worse than he/she may be. Or what if the higher level student isn't comprehending as well as we would like to think? They may be passing on the wrong information to the lower level student, either further confusing them or having the student believe the wrong information is right and thus, only hurting the situation. I think pairing students works, but we must be careful when we do so because it can be disastrous if one of the students decides to shut off and not partake in the event. I have seen it happen when I was in high school, and suffice to say the lower level student in this situation went through 5 partners before I never saw him again in the class, to later find out he changed his schedule around and was placed in remedial English. I am just saying, we should be careful and mindful in the actions we take.
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Post by hoonze88 on Jun 1, 2016 14:07:34 GMT
Caroline, I think society perpetuates that myth because of the statistics of the eyes. What I mean by that is, what is the percentage of people achieving their idea of success through means of schooling versus the Bill Gates or Steve Jobs of the worlds? More people attain their idea of success through school than those without going to school. Sure, we have those who played sports and became amazing pro athletes, went to American Idol and won or were discovered and had a great musical career, and none of these people either went to school or thrived in school. And we can point out a lot, I'm sure. What I am arguing is that ultimately, the total percentage versus those who got a degree is slim, and thus, people correlate school as necessary to obtain success. I will agree it is not entirely necessary for success, but mostly because everyone has a different definition of what success means to them. Do I personally believe the acquisition of literacy is a necessary precursor to success? I absolutely do. But again, my definition of success is different. For me, success involves what I have achieved academically and professionally. If in 20 years I have only obtained my Bachelor's degree, then in my personal world I have not reached success. I will reach my level of success when I obtain the Ph.D or Ed.D in whatever field I choose to get it in. I will reach my level of success when I can say I have become a Professor within the College of Education. That, for ME, is my definition of success. But I stress, this is MY view of success. No one else needs to agree because success is different to us all. But in order for me to obtain my level of success, school and literacy is ABSOLUTELY necessary to obtain that level. Thoughts?
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Post by colleen on Jun 1, 2016 20:39:33 GMT
I particularly loved the Nasir & Hand reading because it reminded me a lot of a news article that I had seen previously. It's interesting that Nasir & Hand mentioned that students engaged in basketball practices were able to solve math problems in that domain, but were unable to in a math class. I agree with Caroline's statement that a student needs to truly feel comfortable in an environment in order for literacy practices to take hold & students to fully engage. Integrating resources and experiences that increase student comfort and ability to relate to the material is key in helping students acclimate to a purely academic setting. I believe that providing a safe space where students can ask questions will foster the development of new and relevant literacy practices, but this environment is rarely found in a classroom - especially for students who are used to failing. The video that I'm including is from CBS's Sunday Morning (a GREAT show if none of you have watched it) and describes a school in an urban neighborhood that was created to meet the needs of students who were not succeeding in a traditional school. The founder of this particular charter school went to schools around the neighborhood and said that he wanted to instruct the most difficult, problematic students they had. Students were then moved to this school, Urban Dove, where their day & academic involvement is structured around teamwork and physical activity. Students exercise the first 3 hours of the day before sitting down to complete any kind of schoolwork (which is kind of genius if you think about it, especially if you have kids coming in who are distracted or angry and need to let off some steam before they can even think about focusing on their work). Instead of being in a traditional classroom setting, each student attends class with their teammates and coach. Regardless of the subject, the students have individuals there who they know care and who they aren't afraid to admit being confused to. This is one of my all time favorite segments from Sunday Morning and I love how it ties into Nasir & Hand's article comparing students' belonging and success on the basketball court versus being in a math classroom. www.cbsnews.com/news/a-school-driven-by-phys-ed/2/After watching the video, how do you guys think that the literacy practices taking place in this school contribute to the students' overall feeling of belonging and academic success (going from not attending class to something like 98% high school graduation and 95% college attendance rates. That's CRAZY. ), thoughts?? |
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Post by carolinebyrnes on Jun 1, 2016 23:41:07 GMT
Caroline, I think society perpetuates that myth because of the statistics of the eyes. What I mean by that is, what is the percentage of people achieving their idea of success through means of schooling versus the Bill Gates or Steve Jobs of the worlds? More people attain their idea of success through school than those without going to school. Sure, we have those who played sports and became amazing pro athletes, went to American Idol and won or were discovered and had a great musical career, and none of these people either went to school or thrived in school. And we can point out a lot, I'm sure. What I am arguing is that ultimately, the total percentage versus those who got a degree is slim, and thus, people correlate school as necessary to obtain success. I will agree it is not entirely necessary for success, but mostly because everyone has a different definition of what success means to them. Do I personally believe the acquisition of literacy is a necessary precursor to success? I absolutely do. But again, my definition of success is different. For me, success involves what I have achieved academically and professionally. If in 20 years I have only obtained my Bachelor's degree, then in my personal world I have not reached success. I will reach my level of success when I obtain the Ph.D or Ed.D in whatever field I choose to get it in. I will reach my level of success when I can say I have become a Professor within the College of Education. That, for ME, is my definition of success. But I stress, this is MY view of success. No one else needs to agree because success is different to us all. But in order for me to obtain my level of success, school and literacy is ABSOLUTELY necessary to obtain that level. Thoughts? In our culture the value of school and academics is extremely high but other cultures may value different things. It is important to keep that in mind when we are thinking about the myth. |
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Post by sarahpiper on Jun 2, 2016 1:14:18 GMT
Just like most of you I loved the link between success and belonging that was brought up in the Court to Classroom article.
I think that having a sense of who you are is very strongly linked to what you do. I call myself an artist and for me when I am selling my own art and teaching/inspiring young artists, that is when I will consider myself to be successful. Getting a degree is not technically necessary for what I am saying is success, however is is helpful. I feel like this is an example of how our culture values higher education even when it is not exactly necessary.
On another note
The videos about DIBELS and the nonsense word tests were really helpful to know what you guys have been talking bout. I actually found out I knew what you were talking about I just didn't know the names of the tests.
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Post by bdelisi on Jun 2, 2016 1:57:04 GMT
Out of the four reading that we competed for reading 7, I like everyone else really enjoyed the Court to Classroom article. I think it did a great job of making the connection between out of school practices and higher levels of engagement as well as the fact that our identity can be linked to a setting. I think this is crucial to remember when working in a school because a school may not necessarily be the place where a kid feels like they have engagement with or where their identity lies but it is our job to try to make school a place for a kid where they feel like they can belong and that the work they are doing is motivating them to achieve. Connecting school work to out of school setting is key.
The other article about literacy and myth honestly kind of confused me and wasn't as enjoyable to read. I found that the language of the article was twisted and complex and the point of the article got lost in translation. I understand the main aspect that does not always equal success and just because people are illiterate doesn't mean that they cannot achieve as well but there was a better and more simplistic way to make the point. I honestly think that simplicity and getting to the point is better.
As for the DIBELS videos, this was all a refresher to myself and the other school psychologists, since we have gotten to practice using the DIBELS first had so I was wondering what those of you in teacher education thought about the DIBELS or if you guys had any questions for us about it?
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Post by delilah on Jun 2, 2016 2:28:56 GMT
Something that really resonated with me from the reading From the Court to the Classroom: Opportunities for Engagement, Learning, and Identity in Basketball and Classroom Mathematics was the idea that there is a strong link between engagement and a sense of overall belonging. I believe that one small exert sums up the main idea of the course in general. A student will only be engaged in the development of literacy practices if the feel like they belong in the classroom/ school. It is school staffs job to make students feel like they belong in order for them to be engaged in the literacy practices of a content area. What ways can teachers foster a sense of belonging in their classroom? Another interesting point I noted from the Literacy Myth at Thirty was the idea of school success not necessarily correlating with life success. People often believe that the acquisition of literacy is a necessary precursor to success. I believe that connections between schooling and social mobility are not natural ones ( they are perpetuated by society). What does society do to perpetuate this myth? Caroline, I entirely agree that students must feel a belonging to fully be engaged in the literacy practice, but i still feel as if they can be engaged partially without a feeling of belonging, although it is not as effective of an engagement. And I feel like teachers of course must foster an environment for students to feel a sense of belonging but in all honesty i don't think it is possible to create a setting in which every single student is engaged nor feel a sense of belonging, as there are so many different values and interests to all students. And to your second comment, I think that is a great point because schooling is simply just not for everyone, my brothers were not successful in school at all but they are very intelligent and successful in the outside world |
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Post by Jack Bond on Jun 2, 2016 4:12:16 GMT
As most everyone else said, the Court to Classroom article was pretty well done. It touched on a few things that a lot of educators don't really consider outside the classroom. It's usually by-the-books and there isn't much time to consider applying it in different circumstances, or rather that students can apply it in other circumstances. It reminds me a lot of the 4th season of The Wire, which focuses on the (lack of) education system in Baltimore. Kids learned math better when the teacher taught them gambling, etc.. It had a bit of a more bleak outlook, but the core of it was that students are going to thrive in what they enjoy and think is important.
It was a bit surreal to watch the DIBELS in this particular class, as it does seem a bit... clinical, compared to what we've been learning. But then again, that's the fastest way that benchmarking can be done in schools.
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Post by leighvand on Jun 3, 2016 19:34:39 GMT
I had a problem accessing the Literacy Myth article, if anyone knows how I can access that it'd be helpful.
The theme of the Court to the Classroom article that stood out most to me was engagement and it's relation to a student's identity within whatever context. Particularly the idea of feeling belonging, its correlation to not only engagement but the STABILITY of engagement and the feelings of control a student has as a result. So further than just making a student feel like an insider in the classroom, how do we as educators create a stable engagement for our students? More so without forcing said engagement or oversimplifying information?? And to go even further, how do you allow a student to feel like they are in control (of their own learning, and presence) without them feeling a power struggle?
My last point on that article is regarding the varying levels of engagement based on practice (performing surgery vs. watching TV). If one's identity is linked to the type of engagement, and there are different levels of engagement based on practice, could this be a reason for feeling like an insider/outsider? So superficial engagement leads to a superficial identity which causes someone to look like an insider but is in fact and outsider. (Is this a long shot?)
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Post by Sarah Navarro on Jun 6, 2016 23:57:42 GMT
You made some good points, Leigh! I found myself asking a lot of the same questions throughout that article. I feel like establishing a balance between engagement and lecture can help with the possibility of oversimplifying information for the sake of practice/engagement. I'm assuming that's something we'll probably get through trial and error once we step out into the real world, and is probably easier said than done.
Another concern I had along the same lines was how us school psychology folks can help with classroom engagement issues within the school. Any school psychers have any suggestions? The only thing that really makes sense to me is some sort of systems-level consultation or some Tier 1 intervention, but maybe that seems a bit too drastic? Is there any legitimate way for a school psychologist to target classroom engagement, or do you think that's more teacher territory?
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